In It Together
by xXDonnaTylerXx
Summary: On a transfer to Manchester CID, Eve has an accident and wakes up in 1973. With no other choice but to accept this as reality, she soon discovers DI Sam Tyler, a man similarly out of his time, confused and just as desperate to get home as she is. Sam/OC.
1. The Brightest Move

**Okay, here we go! I just watched all of Life On Mars for the first time recently and completely fell in love with the show (and Sam!), and felt totally compelled to write a story about it. Then the idea for this just hit me - what if there had been someone else like Sam back in 1973, out of their time and confused? I thought it would be interesting to see what the experience would be like for both of them, and so... voila!**

**Can I also just apologise to you if you are one of the people reading my Doctor Who story Si_mple Love _and have been furiously demanding an update - I didn't do much writing at all over Christmas, and I have a oneshot that I need to get finished (It'll most likely be up by the end of this week), and then I am totally back in the swing and will be writing chapter ten very soon. Just to let you know that I haven't forgotten about it, and am determined to get it done eventually.**

**So off we go, and, at the risk of sounding like one of those annoying review demanders, it'd be lush to get a few lovely constructive comments to help me improve. Cheers, hope you all like it!**

**Donna xxx**

**PS This is the first character I've ever created from scratch, so I hope she turned out okay!**

Chapter One - The Brightest Move

"Okay, everyone." Sam said, entering the office to see Ray, Chris and the Guv having a celebratory drink, "I want you lot to know that today, I was proud to be a part of this team. And this team's about to grow."

"I 'ave noticed you putting a bit on recently, Tyler." Ray sniggered, "Been letting yourself g-"

"And by that," Sam cut him off mid sentence, feigning annoyance. But in truth, he wasn't letting anything dampen his spirits after the case they'd just solved, "I mean I've got us our new DC. I've been hunting around a bit, and finally found the perfect person. Just got off the phone with Newcastle CID, and they've agreed to a transfer."

Gene raised his eyebrows, "Blimey, Tyler! You 'ave been doin' your homework. Come on then, what's this lad's name? 'E be up for a session in the Railway, or have you picked another fairy boy like you who'll pass out after two pints?"

"DC Atkinson," Sam cleared his throat, "Will be arriving on Monday. And about the drinking, Guv, you'll just have to ask her yourself."

At this, as predicted, Chris spat a large mouthful of whiskey onto the floor and Ray's mouth dropped open. And, even more predictably, DCI Hunt merely started shouting.

"A _skirt?_"he yelled, "You've gone to the bother of ringin' up Newcastle for some bloody plonk? Christ, Tyler, you're more off it than I'd imagined."

It took a while, but after a good half an hour more of arguing, broken glasses and name calling, the rest of the team finally agreed to it. Chris was fine as soon as Sam assured him that the new DC would probably wear a skirt most days; Ray just needed reminding that she would be ranked lower than him so he would have someone to boss around other than Chris, and Gene simply needed telling that every other CID in the country had at least one female employee, and he didn't really want the London department to see them as old fashioned, did he?

* * *

"Mam, it's Manchester for Christ's sake, not bloomin' Chicago!" Eve reminded her for the umpteenth time, "I promise you I'll be safe. You treat me like I'm a little girl, but I have _been_ in this business for nearly fifteen years now."

She rolled her eyes at Diana, holding the phone a few inches away from her ear as their mother continued to natter away. Her sister stifled a laugh at Eve's bored replies:

"Yes, Mam. No, Mam. Yes, I promise I'll wear the stab vest in Manchester, Mam. Yes, I'll keep my phone on. Yes, I'll ring you as soon as I get to the new place. I love you too. No, that's not me using a tone with you. Okay, love you. Byyyye!"

Sliding the phone shut immediately, Eve flopped down in a seat opposite her sister, "Thirty three years old I am, and our lovely Mother just reminded me not to talk to strangers whilst working as a Detective Constable in greater Manchester. A bloody _Detective, _solvin' murders and all sorts, and I'm s'posed to worry about stranger danger!"

She let out a laugh, but looked surprised to see Diana with a completely straight face, staring at her over the table, her expression impossible to read.

"What?" Eve asked uneasily, "What's the matter?"

Her sister shook her head slightly, "Evie, why're you going to Manchester?"

"I... You know why." she said, her face falling, "I mean, alright, it's not a promotion, but the money's quite a bit better. Plus they requested me 'specially, which means I can obviously do a good job there..."

Her voice faded out, the weak excuses only sounding weaker by the second.

Eve sighed, and was silent for a moment, before she looked up at Diana, biting her lip.

"I've got to do _something_, Di." she said quietly, "I need to have _some _sort of adventure, just anything that isn't sitting in that office all day. I know it's only Manchester, but to me that's like another planet! Everything'll be new and exciting, and I haven't felt like that in _so long _and I just..."

She stopped for breath, wondering how to get across what she meant without sounding like a bumbling idiot.

Eve sighed, "Have you ever felt like you just _need _to do something? Like it's the most important thing in the world, but you can't quite tell why?"

She looked up at her sister, who was silent for a few moments - before a smile broke out on her face, her eyebrows raised.

"No!" she said disbelievingly, "I've got to say, babes, you sound absolutely insane."

Eve nodded slowly, giving up trying to get her point across.

Diana stood up, "Well then gorgeous, this is it! My baby sister, off to the underworld!" She said dramatically, kissing Eve on the cheek, hoisting her bag up onto her shoulder and turning to leave, but just as she reached the door of the flat she looked around, "You never know," She added, a mischievous grin on her face, "Could be some right talent in Manchester, and I've always said a fit bloke with a bit o' cash is all a girl needs in life."

"That _all _you think about?" Eve laughed, "Men and money?"

"Oh, proud of it." her sister replied seriously, "Give us a call then, yeah?"

"Promise." Eve replied, and then Diana was gone in a blur of turquoise jacket and expensive perfume. She took a deep breath, and after waving her sister off, turned to survey the now empty flat. This was it - her fresh start, her new life.

She looked herself up and down in the mirror, having spent hours choosing the outfit she'd be wearing upon her arrival in Manchester. Not in uniform, but smart casual: a slim-fitting pair of black boot cut jeans with a smart purple ruffled blouse, belted around the waist. Her golden-blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a deliberately messy way, and she wore just enough makeup to be sophisticated rather than looking like a tart.

Yes, she had probably made too much effort, she knew - but everyone had always said she thought far too much about things, which was probably why she made such a good detective.

Eve checked items off a mental list in her head: she had her mobile, purse, badge, makeup and hairbrush in her bag, the details of her new address, station and department written down on a piece of paper. All of her furniture and clothing had been sent ahead to her new flat - there was nothing else she needed to do except leave her key on the kitchen table, check every room one last time and leave the place that had been her home for the last four years.

Sliding into the front seat of her brand new Mini Cooper, Eve took a deep breath. This was it - she was finally seizing the day and starting afresh, something new and exciting all by herself. And with one final glance back up to her empty balcony, she turned on the ignition and drove away.

Having only recently passed her test, she was still a relatively nervous driver - she had never felt the need to learn before, living in an area with such good public transport. But she had figured she'd better get her license if she planned to live in a new city and be a valuable member of their team. Driving around town she could just about cope with now, but having her first experience of a major motorway be the journey from Newcastle to Manchester, alone, probably wasn't the brightest move.

Three times she had to brake suddenly at junctions and roundabouts as other drivers went over the speed limit, feeling way out of her depths in her tiny car. But after two and a half hours of managing to avoid certain death, she was beginning to feel slightly more confident... or was that relieved that the journey would be over so very soon?

There were just two more roundabouts left, she discerned from the map, and then she would come off at the next junction and enter the city centre. Simple, Eve decided as the current track on her iPod drew to a close. On shuffle, it selected another random song: _Waterloo, _the ABBA classic from the long gone seventies and one of her favorite songs of all time.

_My my, at Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender, _

She grinned, smoothly indicating and coming off at the second junction of the first roundabout.

_Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way.  
The history book on the shelf,_

Here was the second roundabout, and this time it was the first exit she needed... fantastic. Had she really found this difficult earlier, she wondered as she picked up speed, wanting more than anything to get out of the car and stretch her legs.

_Is always repeating itself.  
Waterloo, I was defeated, you won the war,_

Oh, but hang on. A cold chill crept over Eve as she spotted a signpost up ahead, indicating another roundabout 50 feet ahead of her. She must have overlooked that on the map, and had absolutely no idea which exit she needed.

_Waterloo, Promise to love you for ever more,_

Panicking, and unable to slow down due to the mass of cars on all sides of her traveling what now seemed incredibly fast, Eve reached her left hand over to the passenger seat - only to find that her map had slipped down onto the floor out of reach.

_Waterloo, couldn't escape if I wanted t- couldn't escape if I wanted t- couldn't escape if I wanted t- couldn't escape if I wanted t-_

Oh god. Now the music was jumping, all she could hear, and that roundabout was drawing ever nearer and looking ever more dangerous.

_Couldn't escape if I wanted t- couldn't escape if I wanted t- _After a few frantic attempts at switching off the iPod to no avail, she was there, absolutely no idea how to handle this. Eve was a forward planner, always had been, and could always be relied on to be painstakingly organized and deductive in most situations. But one thing she had never, ever been able to deal with was a crisis.

When under pressure, she felt sick, couldn't think straight. And so when she reached the roundabout she did the first thing that came into her head, and slammed on the brakes. There was an uproar around her, and the sounds of horns beeping furiously, angry drivers shouting and countless brakes squeaking mixed with the ever constant and all too appropriate _Couldn't escape if I wanted t- couldn't escape if I wanted t-, _to form one huge, unbearable roar in her head.

"GO!" She could vaguely hear voices screaming at her, "GO!" And so, as always when under pressure, Eve mindlessly followed instructions: she took off the brakes, driving at a painfully slow pace over the threshold and onto the roundabout.

But, of course, there were still at least twenty cars hurtling around it at breakneck speed, not being held up by an inexperienced driver like the rest of the motorway. Of course they had no time to spot the Mini Cooper, pulling out with no concern for timing whatsoever. It had to happen sooner or later...

It happened sooner, of course. There were just three seconds where the horns and the shouting and the engine and the ABBA were absolutely all Eve could hear... and then there was an almighty _CRASH!_

And instantaneously, they were silenced. The darkness hit her like a brick wall, and then DC Eve Atkinson could neither see, hear nor feel anything at all.


	2. Not Right

**Hiya! A quick second chapter, compared to how slow I usually am, but I've got so many ideas for this story I need to get them all down at once! Can I just say, to anyone who is reading this fic, to please drop me a review, even if just to be critical. I'd really appreciate it, becaue I do try to take on board what people say and it gives me more incentive, you know? Not that I'm being a diva or anything. Never ;)**

**Enough rambling? I think so. Onwards.**

**Donna xxx**

Chapter Two - Not Right

Eve hadn't been aware that she was unconscious... but then she woke up. Confused, not really sure where she was or what had just happened, her eyes flickered open and she took in her surroundings. She was seated, just like she remembered, in the driver's seat of a Mini Cooper, a map on the floor to her left and the sound of ABBA's _Waterloo _filling her ears... only now, it appeared to be playing on the car radio, her iPod connector nowhere to be found.

Still a little dazed, Eve craned her neck to peer out of the windscreen, only to see that, just like before, she was parked in front of a roundabout. But, unlike before, there were no other cars surrounding her, no angry drivers screaming in her direction from all angles. Simply an empty road in front and behind her, and an overgrown roundabout that looked a lot more dilapidated than she remembered. But then, she decided, she had been under a great deal of pressure, and probably hadn't taken too much time to observe the area.

Eve struggled to think. She had been near the end of her journey, and there had been an extra roundabout... she hadn't known which exit to take, and so she had stopped... but what on earth had happened then? She had drifted off to sleep at the wheel, and the other drivers had merely ignored her and driven around her car? Even in her head, it sounded absolutely absurd.

But likewise, it as the only explanation she could come up with. And, seeing as she wasn't physically hurt, it looked like her only choice was to carry on her way. Slowly, deliberately, she set the Mini in gear and set off, noticing as she did so that the car was running a lot less smoothly than it had been before. There was most definitely something going on here.

And this was confirmed as Eve turned off the practically empty motorway, and got her first look at Manchester city centre. Not quite the glittery, polished skyscrapers she'd been expecting, no clean, well decorated streets and fancy shops - in fact, it was the complete opposite. The buildings looked, if anything, _old, _and each street was lined with a fair amount of litter. Small, sleazy looking shops were what greeted her as she drove through the town, glancing every so often down at her map to check she was in the right place.

But yes, she found to her dismay, this was definitely correct. Exactly as it said on the map, she was just pulling onto Alexandra Terrace now, and if she made a left she'd be through to her new street - according to her estate agent, the Crester Building was the only block of flats on the road, so she wouldn't miss it.

Eve maneuvered the little car (which was still being difficult) to the left, coming out on a wide, grey street with several houses at one end and a huge, looming building at the end closest to her. Glad that at least _something _was as it should be, she gratefully parked the Mini and stepped out of it, grabbing her bag from the passenger seat as she went. Initially, she was just pleased to be able to stretch her legs, and was too focused on shaking off the pins and needles to realize.

But as she crossed the road, she noticed that something was different. Looking down, she gave a violent jump as she realized that she wasn't holding her bag at all, but one completely different. Gone was her trendy shoulder bag, to be replaced by a sort of pale blue, oversized leather pouch, which she had no recollection of purchasing and looked like the sort of thing she usually stayed well away from.

But there was no time to focus on such things, for as she reached the wrought iron gates at the entrance to the building, she caught sight of the large sign above her, which read _Crester's Textiles. _This most certainly hadn't been in all the photographs her estate agent had shown her - was it some new, modern thing they were trying out, giving the block such an obscure name?

Anyway, whatever was going on with the sign, the fact still remained that the gate was locked. She walked slowly over to the small booth by the side, in which a middle aged man was sat, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Hiya," she said slowly, not really sure how to put this "Eve Atkinson, I'm s'posed to be moving into flat twenty?"

The man blinked, then, for some reason, let out a harsh laugh, "You what, love?"

"Flat twenty." she clarified, "I was wondering if all my furniture had arrived."

"Okaay." the man raised his eyebrows, "You think you're gonna _live_ in the factory?"

"I don't..." she was beyond confused now, "This is the Crester building, right?"

"Crester's Textile Factory, correct." he said, sounding slightly annoyed now, "And blondie, I don't know what happens in Wales, but in Manchester, people don't often live in factories. Now, I'll thank you to talk some sense or stop wasting my time."

Eve was startled that he'd been so rude, and was beginning to get tired of this.  
"I'm from Newcastle." she said dangerously, "And I don't know what the hell is going on here, but believe me, I am gonna find out. Because this is _not. Funny._"

She turned on her heel, and stalked back across the road to her car, reaching into her pocket as she did so. But that only led to a bigger shock, as she realized she was digging into the pocket of a knee-length skirt instead of jeans. Looking down, she saw that she now wore a pale blue blouse adorned with a large bow, and over that a dark blue waistcoat - both of these garments that she'd never _seen _before, let alone had in her wardrobe.

She closed her eyes, as though she could make this any less real. Just there, in the darkness, not seeing or living any of this nonsense. It was so peaceful, so blank... if she listened hard enough, she could hear the gentle beating of her heart - but it was getting louder, getting faster. _Too _fast, this wasn't right, none of this was right...

Her eyes shot open, and she let out a huge breath. Eve shook her head slightly to pull herself together, needing to focus once more on figuring this out. Rooting in her pocket, she finally pulled out the piece of paper on which she'd written all the details of her new home and job.

_House: _it read in her neat writing, _Flat 20, Crester Building,_ _126 Queen Mary Road. _Bugger. That was exactly where she was, and guess what? The building turned out to be a factory. Brilliant.

With a sigh, Eve turned back to her car, if only to avoid the strange looks she was still getting from the man at the entrance gate. But as she reached for the handle, a dark look came over her face. Because, on top of everything else, the car was different. As well, obviously, as the deserted roundabout, the nonexistent flat, the bag, the clothes, everything, she currently had her hand on the door of a model of Mini from at least thirty years ago.

"Alright!" she actually said out loud, "Are you finished?! 'Cos I'm done! And it was very _amusing_ for you, I'm sure, but I have had _bloody _enough now!"

She wasn't sure exactly who she was yelling at, but all of this was too much for her. And because there were people giving her awfully strange looks, and the man was now craning his neck out of the window of the booth to stare at her, she merely threw him, all of them, a disgusted look and slid back into the front seat of the car.

She was dreaming. She had to be, there was no way this could be real. She closed her eyes, and whispered to herself: "Wake up, Eve. Wake. _Up!"_ But, as she stopped speaking, she could still hear it, louder and clearer.

_Evie! Eve, babes, please, you've got to wake up. _Now this wasn't her, this was inside her head..._ Come on now, just open your eyes. Wake _up_!_ _EVE!_

With a huge gasp, she opened her eyes, unable to believe what she had just heard. Clutching the wheel, she continued to breathe heavily, feeling the tears stream down her cheeks. Okay, she had to focus. Find out what was going on. And the small piece of paper clutched in her hand was the key to working it out, being the only thing the same as before she'd woken up.

She smoothed it out in her hands, reading over the folds where she'd previously screwed it up in frustration. Underneath the incorrect flat details, it read_: _

_Work: Central Manchester CID, Windsor Road. A Division, third floor, DCI Sam Tyler._

It looked like that was her only option. As she drove back through town, following her map, she tried to even out her breathing, get things in perspective, or she would never get this sorted out. It was a dream, just a dream, she was going to wake up any second...

But she didn't. And before she knew it, Eve was pulling up outside a large, official looking building. This was it. Keeping strong, she took one last deep, soothing breath, and stepped out of the car. There was a short flight of steps, and then she was at the entrance, outside which two men in uniform stood talking. This in itself made Eve feel slightly calmer - in a police station, there were rules, regulations. Constant organization, and official business, no improvising and no guesswork.

At least, that was how it had been back home. But as she walked past the PCs into the station, she heard a long, loud whistle from behind her. Her eyes wide, she spun around, to see the two men unashamedly looking her up and down.

"Alright, darlin'?" one of them called out, "You bein' taking in for questionin'?"

"An' if the Guv's a bit hard on ya," said the other, "You come to me afterwards. I'll make sure you're sorted out!"

Eve really didn't like the leering tone of their voices, but didn't quite know how to respond. Instead, she turned to the policewoman sat behind a desk, a pleading look on her face.

"OI!" the DC yelled to the men, "Shut your traps, you two, or I'll dock your pay an' tell your wives!" Eve blinked at the oddness of this threat, and the casual way the woman had used it. She turned to her now, an exasperated look on her face.

"Right then," she irritatedly asked Eve, "What _can _I do for ya? Witnessed somethin'? In for questionin'? Or just... payin' one of our officers a visit?"

"No, I..." Eve was still slightly overwhelmed, "I'm the new DC? Transferred over from Newcastle, I think your DCI'll be expecting me."

The woman behind the desk said nothing, just looked her up and down, a disbelieving expression on her face, before leaning forward to speak into a radio:

"Guv, it's Phyllis. Got a lass down here claimin' to be new, that sound about right?"

"Yep. One of Tyler's latest bright ideas." came the blunt response, "Go on, send 'er up."

The woman behind the desk raised her eyebrows in a disbelieving manner, but nonetheless she muttered, "Right you are." into the radio, and jerked a thumb to indicate the staircase behind her.

"CID's on the third floor." Phyllis said distastefully, "And watch yourself. Them lot'll 'ave a field day when they catch sight o' you."

Eve didn't quite understand what she meant, or how to respond to that, so instead she simply nodded politely at the woman, receiving an eye-roll in return. Honestly, what was_ wrong_ with these people?

So, figuring it was probably best to make a hasty retreat and get this over with, Eve said nothing more. Instead, she headed quickly for the stairs which would lead to her new job, her new life... and hopefully, an explanation as to what in the world could have possibly happened to her.


	3. Straight Out Of The '70s

**Hiya! Here we go with chapter three, this is where it really gets interesting! Thanks so much to those of you who've reviewed, and to the other folk who sent me PMs about it. It's lovely to hear what you all think! So I hope you enjoy this, and I'd love more feedback either way.**

**_Simple Love _will be updated relatively soon, for those who read it, I'll most likely alternate between writing chapters for that and this story. And, of course, that Doctor/Donna oneshot I've been promising everyone for so long! Thanks again for reading, be lush to hear from you.**

**Donna xxx**

Chapter Three - Straight Out Of The '70s

Something just didn't feel right as Eve walked up the two flights of stairs. She looked around at the grimy hallway - it was a far cry from her station back home, which was clean, bright and official looking, and she had expected Manchester's to be much the same, even _more_ so. But then again, nothing else had been anywhere near what she'd expected, so it didn't surprise Eve too much.

What did surprise her, however, was arriving on the third floor corridor and hearing what sounded like a party going on behind the translucent glass walls of CID. She stood in front of the door, listening in amazement to the sound of men laughing and shouting, sounding more as if they were in a pub than the Criminal Investigation Department of one of the country's biggest police stations. God, was this what Manchester was really like? Had Diana been right the whole time, should she have just stayed on Tyneside and never bothered with something bigger?

Eve was gathering her strength, knowing that sooner or later she was going to have to open that door and face these rowdy strangers, that she couldn't put it off forever no matter how fast her heart was beating, her head was pounding... and was that a beeping she could hear in the background?

Yes, she could definitely hear a slow, repetitive beep, over and over again... A man's calm voice, followed by a higher one, but she couldn't make out what they were saying... a sob, definitely a woman's cry...

_EVE! _She heard the shrill cry at the exact same time as a loud _BANG! _from right in front of her. Her eyes snapped open to see that the door to CID had been thrown open, and a man stumbled out, seeming not to notice the stunned Eve standing there. He was quite young, but far from handsome, his dark hair hanging limply over his face as he headed for the bin behind her and proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach into it.

Although Eve was absolutely horrified at this, it was apparently nothing out of the ordinary to the man, who stood up straight, casually wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he caught sight of Eve. What on earth was this place?

"Oh, aye." the man said with a slight smirk, "You'll be that new Geordie plonk, then."

She couldn't manage a sound, still being in a state of shock at what she had just witnessed.

"DC Chris Skelton." the man said, "Nice to meet ya." Nice enough, but it was slightly less convincing due to the fact that his gaze seemed magnetically drawn to her chest, rather than her eyes, when he spoke.

He held out the same hand with which he'd just wiped his mouth and Eve, understandably, did not accept it. So instead, looking slightly confused, he straightened his collar, before looking her up and down one last time and going back into the large room behind the door.

Eve blinked in surprise at his sudden departure, but took it as a strange way of inviting her in. She certainly couldn't see what other option she had, and so she followed, tentatively pushing open the heavy door and getting her first look at CID.

And she almost passed out all over again. The room, although large, was incredibly dark, the air so thick with smoke that she had to blink back tears. Desks were scattered around the room in a disorderly manner, paper and glasses spilling over most surfaces.

However, these things were nowhere near as disconcerting as the feel of several pairs of eyes turning directly to her as soon as she walked in - every last one of them male - and the sound of more than one wolf whistle. Was every man in Manchester like this? God help her if that was the case.

"Hel-_lo_." came one voice from across the room, "_Now _I get where the boss was coming from when 'e hired a bird."

"Nice waistcoat, lass!" someone else called, "Mind you, it'd look much better off."

This was so overwhelming and unexpected, Eve had absolutely no idea how to respond. Instead, she focused on getting this figured out, and ignored them completely, carrying on as she'd planned.

"D- DC Atkinson." she managed, and glanced down at the piece of paper in her hand, "I'm looking for DCI Sam Tyler?"

And for some reason, the room went quiet. Chris, the DC she'd already met, choked back a laugh. Another man sitting next to him, sporting a moustache, simply stared at her, chewing gum louder than she'd ever thought possible.

"I beg your pardon?" came a bellow from the other side of the room, and her head snapped to the source of the noise: a large man with unkempt hair, dressed in a rumpled brown suit and smoking a cigarette.

"_'Oo_ did you say you were looking for?" he demanded, regarding her with one of the fiercest glares she'd ever come across.

"DCI... Tyler." she said feebly, knowing how weak she sounded but nothing she could do about it, "Is that not right?"

"You bet your arse that's not right, love. That lad's gone too far."

"Wha-?" she began feebly, not quite understanding, but was cut off as the man caught sight of someone behind her.

"TYLER!" he snapped, and Eve followed his eye line to see that another man had entered the room and was standing at the door, "What the hell are you playing at, telling the girl you're in charge round 'ere?"

Eve regarded this new man, who instantly seemed different than the rest. He was slightly younger than the monster in the suit, but looked a hell of a lot more dignified in his faded leather coat and dark shirt than the other man could ever hope to achieve.

"What?" he asked, sounding exasperated, "Guv, I don't know what-"

"Were you tryin' 'o increase your chances, Boss?" the man with the moustache called from the other side of the room, "Tryin' 'o sound impressive, like?"

He glanced over at Eve with a wink that sent shivers down her spine, "Ray Carling," he told her, "Prime Minister."

The man who'd just entered shook his head dismissively. "Your DCI over at Newcastle must have just got it mixed up." he said, walking over to the only neat desk in the entire room and taking a sheet of paper from the top of a pile.

He held out a hand, and gave her the first smile she'd received all day, "Detective Inspector Sam Tyler."

Uneasily, she shook his hand, the feel of his warm, firm grasp confirming that this wasn't a dream.

"I'm glad you could make it." he continued warmly, "And welcome to the team, er..." he glanced down at the form in his hand, "...Evangeline."

"Just Eve." she clarified, "No one says my full name - I think my mam was going for something angelic, but nowadays the only other Evangeline people have heard of is that lass from _Lost_."

What would have been a simple comment in most situations got an incredibly strange response from DI Tyler, and no reaction whatsoever from the rest of the men in the room, who merely continued to stare at her blankly.

Sam's eyes widened, and she could swear he got visibly paler as he practically whispered: "_What_ did you just say?"

"Who got lost?" Chris asked, confused, "'Cos it's Phyllis 'oo deals with missin' persons."

"Doesn't matter." Eve sighed, shaking her head slightly, "Why am I talking about the telly, anyway? I still don't understand any of this."

"Any of what?" the man Eve now assumed to be the DCI asked, arms folded and looking immensely annoyed as if any of this was her fault. But if it was up to her, none of this would have happened, and she was bloody well going to let him know about it. She was feeling so many things at the moment: confusion, fear, panic... but the one that eventually won was anger.

"Ooh, I don't know!" she yelled sarcastically, having had enough of this insane situation and just wanting, _needing _it to be sorted out, "The fact that all of a sudden I'm wearing clothes which I've never seen before in my life? That my car's different to what it was, that the flat I so painstakingly hunted for turns out to be a bloody _factory_?"

Eve even surprised herself with the ferocity of her outburst, but all of this had just become too much for her and there was nothing she could do but carry on, "Or that my new department is in actual fact just a giant drinks cabinet full of overweight chain-smokers, every single one of whom has so far treated me like some bloody Playboy bunny?!"

She finally stopped, if only for the fact that she needed to catch her breath. The various officers around the room merely gawped at her, shocked at her unexpected rant. DI Tyler's eyes were wide, and if anything he looked slightly scared. The DCI, however, had barely flinched the entire time she'd been shouting, simply giving her an unfathomable glare throughout her entire outburst.

He let out a sigh, and calmly picked up a glass of what looked like Scotch from the desk beside him.

"Well, Sammy Boy," he said evenly, taking a sip, "Congratulations, you've actually managed to hire someone who's as insane as you."

This was blatantly insulting enough as it was, but still he felt the need to add: "Except this one's got a bigger arse and nicer tits."

Eve, outraged, opened her mouth again, but DI Tyler placed a gentle hand on her shoulder before she could tear this man's head off.

"Guv, please." he said firmly, "That's really not-"

"And what's that all about anyway?" she rounded on the DI now, not really angry at him but having had this stored up so long that she was ready to snap at anything, "Why d'you call 'im _Guv? _You sound ridiculous, like you've stepped straight out of the bloody '70s!"

"Well, you know," the DCI considered, although Eve detected more than a hint of sarcasm, "Seeing as we are in fact _in _the 1970s, that's not all too fascinating a revelation!"

Eve felt suffocated all of a sudden, as though someone had gagged her. This was too much, this couldn't possibly be happening to her.

"Wh- What?" was all she managed to choke as the room spun around her and her head was pounding. Eve squeezed her eyes shut to try and block it out, mentally screaming at herself to wake up. But then it wasn't her telling herself to step out of this, then she could hear another voice, the voice of her mother...

_Wake up, baby. Please, you have to wake up for me. Eve. EVE!_

"Eve?" Her eyes shot open to see DI Tyler in front of her, looking incredibly concerned and holding tightly to her arms to keep her upright. For a few seconds, she just stared up at him, her own eyes filling instantly with tears as she looked right into his.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly, and Eve's breathing was heavy as she felt the tears stream down her cheeks.

"This is not happening to me." she finally whispered, pulling away from his steady grasp and stumbling towards the exit. Her voice got stronger as she got one last glimpse of the officers all staring at her as if she were mad, "It's not real, this is not. BLOODY. HAPPENING!"

And with that, she stormed out of the office and back down the stairs faster than she'd ever gone in her life. Eve ignored Phyllis' calls as she ran straight through the reception area, needing to get out of that hell hole they passed for a police station as soon as humanly possible.

Finally, she was back in the car park where she'd started, only now she was noticing things she'd missed the first time. The particular style of every car parked there; the old-style uniforms of two WPCs stood outside the station; the railing with several bicycles chained to it...

But what the DCI had said was inconceivable, surely. It was insane, no, downright_ impossible _that she could be in the 1970s... right? Truth be told, Eve had absolutely no idea.

She leaned against her old Mini, tears continuing to flood down her face as she realized she had absolutely not a clue what to do, where to go.

And then Eve felt a gentle hand on her arm, and turned to see, through her tears, the somewhat blurred form of Detective Inspector Sam Tyler. The only man - scrap that, the only _person - _who'd shown the tiniest bit of concern for her whatsoever in this strange, awful new place.

Eve looked up, right into his eyes, and finally managed to force out just two words in between shuddering sobs. But, it seemed, they were all that was needed.

"Help me."


	4. First Impressions

**Helloooo, my darlings! Mwah! Mwah! Let me offer my sinceeerest apologies for the delay in updating, I've just been sooo majorly busy recently (exams, parties, exams, acting, exams... I won't bore you with the details ;D) plus fanfiction has been acting rather strange lately - I couldn't log in for like, five days! Weird, weird website...**

**Anyway, here we go with a reeeally long chapter which hopefully was worth the wait, although it was a hard one to write and I'm still not completely happy with it, but I hope you enjoy! If you do get a chance, some feedback would be lush either way - your lovely, honest, constructive reviews and PMs are what keep me writing! Hopefully a quicker update this time, now on with the show!**

**Donna xxx**

Chapter Four - First Impressions

"Help me." Eve pleaded, sounding utterly desperate, and Sam's heart more than went out to the girl. He couldn't get his head round this, couldn't believe some of the things she'd said. This was all far too familiar to be real... but there was no way she could really be in the same situation as him, right?

He had absolutely no idea. All he knew for certain right now was that she needed his help. And that he had to stay calm, kind, had to be the strong one here and not fall apart like he wanted to.

"Of course." he offered with a warm smile, knowing that a friendly face was what she needed right now, "Come with me."

"What?" she looked up, blinking and causing yet more tears to spill over her cheeks, "You know where I need to go?"

She sounded disbelieving, but nonetheless a look of relief slowly crept its way on to her face.

"Yep." Sam replied, keeping his voice confident and reassuring, "We... well, _I_ got all your housing details sorted out for you when the transfer was arranged. It's just a little flat, nothing special, but you're in the same building as me."

"Right." Eve said with a sigh, closing her eyes. Slowly, she took a deep breath to calm herself, and determinedly wiped the tears off her cheeks before turning to him again, "Right."

"Right." he agreed, leading her in the direction of his car. He glanced back to ensure that she was following him before continuing, his voice light and casual, "It was really lucky there was one available at such short notice, actually. Normally-"

"Ha- Hang on a minute." she stopped him, shaking her head slightly, "What do you mean, short notice?"

"Well..." Sam replied cautiously, "Seeing as the transfer was only arranged on Wednesday, there... What's the matter?" He asked her, confused, as Eve let out a sigh.

"Wednesday." she said quietly, shaking her head in apparent disbelief before looking up at him again, a weary smile on her face.

"This... transfer," she began, still smiling, although Sam wasn't quite sure why, "Was arranged just over three months ago. But," she gave a small, bitter laugh, "If you say it was five days ago, Inspector, then right now I'll believe you."

"And... why's that?" Sam asked her seriously, amazed and more than a little confused.

"Because..." she said thoughtfully, choosing her words carefully, "_Everything _about today... has been wrong, like some... crazy dream. It's just weird, little things, but _nothing's_ gone the way it's supposed to. Thank you." she added, sounding slightly taken aback, as Sam opened the passenger door for her.

He let out a deep, slow breath as he walked around to the other side of the car, finding it hard to take all of this in. The things she had said could really only mean one thing, couldn't they? But... _how?_

Somewhere, right in the back of his mind, he could hear a faint but all too familiar beeping noise, over and over again, threatening to take over... but now really wasn't the time. He shook his head slightly, and to his delight it worked - the machine was silenced. He had been getting much better at that recently, he noticed: shutting out the voices and sounds from 2006 when he needed to, separating that world from this.

Quite what that meant, he wasn't sure. Right now, he just had to focus on sorting things out with this mysterious Eve.

"You know," she said thoughtfully as Sam slid into the driver's seat, his reassuring smile now firmly back in place, "You, DI Tyler, are the only person who's been remotely nice to me since I got here."

"Please," he said quietly, looking right into her eyes, "Call me Sam."

And once she'd managed the tiniest of smiles and a nod back, he started the engine and pulled away with some difficulty - Sam was ashamed to admit that even after months of being in this place, he still wasn't used to driving the old-fashioned blue Ford.

"And somehow, Eve, I don't find that very hard to believe." he continued, his tone once again lighter now, "I know when I first got here, I couldn't believe how rude everyone was." Oh God. What had he just blurted out?

"When you first got here?" she looked at him quizzically, "What d'you mean, where did you come from?"

He was thrown off guard at that, completely unsure how to respond to her question - truth be told, he was intrigued by the things she'd said, and if anything, slightly excited at the thought she could be from his time... but what if he was wrong? What if he told her outright he was from 2006, only to have her think him insane like so many other people had done?

Sam had learned to be careful what he said right back on his first day, in fact, when he had told one of the WPCs the truth, and understandably she had been more than a little scared. Annie Cartwright hadn't said two words to him since then, and to this day seemed terrified whenever they were in the same room. Not that he could blame her, of course... but this Eve seemed different, and if there was even the slightest chance she was in the same boat as him, he couldn't have her react in the same way.

He cleared his throat, realizing he had taken far too long to answer.

"Hyde." he said, automatically spinning the old lie, "I was transferred over here from Hyde three months ago."

Eve's expression remained blank, "Hyde?"

"It's a town," Sam informed her, trying to think of a way to describe a place he'd never actually been to in his life, "Just the other side of Manchester, but... you know. It can feel like a lot further."

She studied him for a few seconds before saying quietly: "It's really that different here?"

"Oh, I'd say it was..." he swallowed nervously, not sure what to tell her. He could lie, say no more about it... only what was the point? Sam let out a sigh, before finishing his answer perfectly truthfully:

"...like I'd landed on a different planet."

A strange expression came over Eve's face at that, a puzzled, slightly concerned look as though she were trying to work something out. There was silence for a good few seconds, each of them lost temporarily in their own thoughts, before Sam spoke again.

"So, erm..." he cleared his throat, and Eve seemed to snap out of whatever trance she'd been in, "You were sayin' how everything today's been different, not happened the way it was supposed to..." he gave a tiny shrug, glancing at her with genuine interest, "What sort of thing do you mean, what's been going wrong?"

"Pretty much everything that possibly could." she said, so earnestly that it broke Sam's heart a little, before she let out a determined breath and started to speak once again.

"I was on the motorway," she began, seeming to struggle to find the right words, "Driving over to Manchester, just like I've been planning for the last three months or so. It's all been organized since the start - my flat, the job, hell, my bloody _outfit, _everything! But something happened, I'm just not sure..." she shook her head slightly, as though she were trying to remember something.

"I must have... blacked out, or somehow fallen asleep, or something, I dunno. But anyhow, I woke up, in my car, in the middle of the road just as I should be... only everything's different, just a little bit."

Her voice was gaining confidence now, her eyes widening as she relived the things that had happened to her. Sam couldn't bring himself to say a word, had to hear the rest.

"There was a roundabout," she continued, "But it was all... all overgrown and messy. All of the other buildings, as well, just seem _older _than they should, more run down, I don't know. Anyway, I got to my new flat... or what I thought was my new flat. It took me ages to find, you know, I had to look all over the web and I must have spoken to _hundreds_ of estate agents, but all the same, when I got to the right street there was nothing but some massive factory there."

"It wouldn't have been..." Sam managed quietly, although his throat felt as though it were about to close up, "...a _textile_ factory, would it?"

"Exactly!" Eve exclaimed shrilly, her voice on the rise again, "And the police station's the same, all old-fashioned, and that other bloke's in charge even though I'd swear on my mother's life _you _were supposed to be the DCI!" She was starting to speed up now, her eyes filling up once again as she became more panicky.

"And _me _as well! My car changed, changed into some rickety old thing from thirty years ago, and my _clothes_ have changed, and my bag, 'cos I definitely wasn't wearing some bloody waistcoat or a skirt or anything before I... before I fell asleep or- or whatever." Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, her voice wavering like mad in between desperate sobs, "But I don't even _know _what happened, and everyone's been so awful to me, all except you, and nothing's the way it should be, _nothing,_ and I'm all on my own and I just want to go _home!"_

Eve got more and more worked up as she carried on, before finally she stopped - he guessed it was more due to the hysterical crying than because she had actually said all she wanted to. Sam's head was spinning from all of this, yet somehow he forced himself to stay calm and be the voice of reason to the woman beside him with her head in her hands.

"Alright, Eve, it's okay." he said soothingly, gratefully pulling into a parking space outside of his- _their_ building. He turned to Eve, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on her arm.

"Come on, you're alright. It's gonna be fine, you hear me?"

She looked up at him, finally, her eyes still swimming with tears.

"Because whatever this is," he assured her, his voice quiet and deadly serious, "Whatever's happened to you, I'm gonna help you sort it out. You are _not _on your own, and you're never going to be."

She merely looked at him for a few seconds, and Sam could see the confusion, pain and outright _tiredness _in her eyes, could feel it because he knew exactly what she was going through. No one had been there to help him when he first arrived in this God awful place... but he was sure as hell going to help her.

"Promise?" she finally managed, her voice no more than a whisper.

"Promise." he said softly with a tiny smile, and then he tore his gaze away, breaking the connection that both of them had felt.

Without another word, he undid his seat belt and stepped out of the car, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments just to pull himself together. When the sound of the passenger door opening and closing assured him that Eve was following, Sam started in the direction of the entrance to the building... but before he reached the door, the sound of her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Sam?" he turned to see Eve standing hesitantly in front of his car, having wiped the tears from her cheeks but still looking nervous.

"That man..." she started, her voice small, "The one in the suit... your- our... Boss... Guv... person."

She tried absently, before giving up. Instead, she looked right up and into his eyes, biting her bottom lip as though she was afraid of what his answer might be.

"He... he seemed to think we were in the 1970s."

Sam had to consider for a second before replying, having decided that the best answer he could give would be a blunt one - it was what Eve deserved and needed after so much had been vague and unclear.

"That was Gene Hunt, our DCI. And it's 1973."

It literally took all of his willpower not to add: "Almost dinner time. I'm 'avin' 'oops!" in the Guv's menacing tone, but considering the look on Eve's face - i.e. that it was very likely she would throw up any second - that would probably be highly inappropriate.

After a few seconds, Eve looked up at him, her expression dazed. She didn't say a word, merely nodding in a vague manner and following him without looking back. The silence continued as he led her up the two flights of stairs to her floor, and as they reached the door to flat number Forty-Two. Neither of them said a word as Sam dug into the pocket of his leather jacket, finally pulling out the envelope which contained her front door key.

He didn't speak at all, knowing that there would be so much running through Eve's mind right now, that she had enough to try and get her head around without a conversation to comprehend as well.

If Sam had thought he felt sorry for her before, it was nothing compared to when he opened the door, switching on the lights and giving Eve her first look at her new home. The place, he saw, was practically identical to his own - the same hideous wallpaper; minuscule kitchen; tiny, uncomfortable bed; TV set looming in the corner.

"This is it?" he heard a mortified whisper from behind him, and turned to see Eve standing in the doorway, her mouth having dropped open in shock - Pretty much the same reaction as his when he had first seen his own flat.

"So..." he asked awkwardly, knowing the answer before she even opened her mouth, "First impressions?"

"Pretty much..." she said slowly, carefully, before looking up at him, her expression, if anything, slightly bemused, "...Oh, good God!"

Sam let out a knowing laugh as she put a hand to her forehead, walking into the centre of the room and gesturing wildly about her.

"I mean..." Eve said in a high pitched, disbelieving voice, "This is absolutely rid_iculous_!"

She had a wide smile on her face, indicating that this had at last become too much for her to cope with.

"What's happened to me, Sam?" she asked exasperatedly, a little quieter now, "What the hell could have possibly happened, to make me... for it to be... for us... I... _Nineteen seven_..." Eve couldn't finish her sentence, and to be honest, he wasn't sure she even knew what she would say if she was able to. Covering her face with her hands, she took a deep breath, clearing her head and calming herself down before stepping closer to him and saying inquisitively:

"Who do you think I am, Sam Tyler?"

It was such an unexpected question that it caught him off guard.

"I... what?" he stammered, not sure how to answer.

"You knew my full first name, back in the office. You knew where I came from, my DCI... On that sheet of paper, what else did it say?"

"That was your profile." He told her, pulling the sheet of paper out of his jacket pocket, "Just your basic information, background, that sort of thing."

She was looking at him expectantly, and Sam let out a sigh. He didn't want to confuse the girl further, but he knew she had a right to know everything there was.

"You sure?" he asked quietly.

Eve paused for a moment, biting her lip nervously, before she looked up with a determined nod. And so, taking a deep breath, Sam started to read:

"Okay. WDC Evangeline Amelia Atkinson, aged thirty three. Born at Newcastle General Hospital on January thirteenth, 1940. Parents-"

"Well hold on," she cut him off, shaking her head, "That's wrong, for a start. 1940? I was born in nineteen se..." Her voice trailed off, a look of great realization dawning on her face, "1973." she finished, her voice barely more than a whisper.

_Doctor! S_am suddenly heard a woman's voice call out, clear as day, making him jump violently. _Doctor, his heart rate's speeding up! What does that mean?_

And as much as Sam wanted to know what that meant, why the hell this had happened all of a sudden, he suddenly became aware of the fact that the colour was draining from Eve's face, her eyes widening, and he only just managed to dart across the room and catch her before she hit the floor.

"There we go." he said soothingly as she clung desperately to him, helping her sit down on the edge of the bed and trying to ignore the fact that the frame creaked ominously with the weight of them both, "You alright?"

"Not really." Eve put a hand to her head and sighed, her tone still one of confusion but, thankfully, some colour returning to her cheeks, "_1973, _Sam. That's the year I was _born_. The year I _will _be born, I... Why the hell have I ended up here?"

Sam swallowed the lump in his throat, totally overcome by all of this, "I don't know what you-"

"You're gonna think I'm completely insane." she said quietly, continuing to take deep breaths, "But I need you to believe me when I say that I don't belong here. I live in the year 2006, yet for some reason I've ended up in this place... time... whatever. I don't know what's happened to me, Sam, but I..." She trailed off, letting out one desperate sob, and he didn't know what to say.

This was real, really happening, and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to tell this Eve, this intriguing woman who knew exactly how he felt, absolutely everything. But he just couldn't bring himself to, knowing just how hard it would be and how, right now, she needed to get her own story off her chest. He could wait. He had to.

"It just feels so _real, _you know?" she continued, sounding totally heartfelt, their eyes locked, "I only wish I could force myself to believe this is a dream, but it just _can't _be, not when I can think so clearly, when I can see and smell and taste so vividly, when I can _feel..._"

Slowly, without a word, Eve lifted a hand and slipped it under his jacket, desperately seeking the heart that was getting faster by the second. She froze when she located it, her face showing utter amazement.

"It's _beating._"she whispered, as if it were the most wondrous thing in the world, "But... what does that mean?"

"I don't know." he admitted slowly, shaking his head slightly, "I don't know what's happened to you, Eve, but I know we can work it out. And I need _you _to know that you're not alone in this. That whatever it is, I can help, and that... well. That it won't always seem this bad."

"Thank you." she whispered, meaning it entirely, a single tear spilling over and rolling gently down her cheek. There were a few seconds after that when neither of them said a word, both taking comfort in the utter silence of the small room.

And then the two of them seemed to realize at the same time. Still, they didn't speak, but both could tell that the other had just noticed how very close to each other they were sitting on the tiny bed. How one of Eve's hands continued to rest on his heart, the other still grasping his arm as if her life depended on it. How there was an undeniable connection between them, one that offered them comfort in a way neither of them could explain.

But after a few more seconds, Sam could bear it no longer.

"I have to go." he said gently, and Eve seemed to snap out of her reverie. She nodded, letting go of his hand - an action which, strangely, was a lot harder than she would have imagined.

He stood up, "Try and get a good night's sleep, Eve." he said gently, "I know it sounds difficult, but believe me when I say it'll get better."

Another timid nod. Needing some time to think this through, and knowing that she'd want to do exactly the same, he turned to leave... but just as he reached the front door to her flat, he heard her voice behind him.

"Sam?" she called out shakily, and he turned to see her still sitting on the bed, looking slightly puzzled and more than a little scared.

"You do believe me, don't you?"

There was the absolute tiniest of pauses, before a genuine smile came over Sam's face and he answered her confidently and completely truthfully:

"Yes. I do."


	5. Absolutely Determined

**Hello! Just to say a very large apology for the delay in this chapter, I've just been sooo busy yadda yadda yadda etc. etc. Anyway, a big thanks to everyone who reviewed and sent private messahes to me regarding les previous chapteers, please do continue as your feedback is much, much appreciated and taken on board!**

**Also a huge thank yooow to my beta Lets Get This Show On The Road, and a clear cut statement that Life On Mars belongs to the beeb and not to moi! Please enjoy and let me know what you thought,**

**Donna x**

Chapter Five - Absolutely Determined

_"As I was saying," the man's voice was calm and businesslike, "It is seeming increasingly likely that the recent unforeseen increase of Sam's heart rate is due to a neurological-"_

_"Doctor!" _

_The sound of a door being thrown open, and an agitated female voice._

_"Doctor, Nurse Jones says you're needed urgently in intensive care, there's a woman been involved in a car crash."_

_"Of course, right away. Any more details you can give me?"_

_"Early thirties, in relatively good health." she sounded breathless, "Her car collided with several others on a roundabout just outside of the city, she's had a sharp blow to the head."_

_"I'm on my way. Have we managed to get any identification yet?" the voices sounded as though they were moving further away, perhaps out into the corridor..._

_"Not specifically, sir, but I think someone mentioned that she was a police officer, CID just like Tyler." _

_The voices were fading fast, walking further away as he felt himself beginning to slip into consciousness... _

_"How strange, what are the chanc-"_

Sam was suddenly jerked awake, sitting bolt upright and almost toppling directly out of the tiny bed and on to the floor. Breathing heavily, he put a hand to his head, trying desperately to calm himself and get his head around what he had just heard. After everything that had happened yesterday, it had been hard enough to get to sleep, and when at last he had managed to drift off, everything had been confirmed.

Truth be told, he didn't know how to feel about the arrival of this Eve. Essentially, of course, he was absolutely terrified, unsure what it meant for him, how he was supposed to deal with it. But there was also a part of him that felt complete and utter relief at the thought that he wasn't alone anymore, that there was someone else experiencing just the same shattering things as he was. What he had just heard provided the hard evidence that she was, in fact, from his time, and if nothing else, it meant that she was desperately in need of help.

And he was absolutely determined that he would be the one to provide that help.

Sighing, he reached for the clock on the shelf above his bed, praying with all his heart that he had a few more blessed hours of sleep remaining. But, it seemed, luck was not on his side. The clock read _7:30, _and Sam groaned as he heaved himself up into a standing position.

Perhaps Eve was just there by coincidence, another lost soul just as out of place as him. It could just be his mind, playing some ghastly trick in an attempt to keep him here. Or maybe, just maybe, he thought; he _hoped_,as he got himself ready for the day, she could prove to be the key to finally getting home once and for all.

* * *

She slept fitfully all through the night, her dreams plagued with the frantic sounds of a hospital, of various doctors and nurses discussing _"Miss Atkinson's stability"_ and _"__the possibility that such sudden impact could cause severe lasting damage" _and other such disturbing subjects_. _

As she lay at around seven o'clock, dozing restlessly as the sun began to pour in through the ancient net curtains, Eve tried to remember the things she'd heard, to pick out _anything _that could give her a better idea what had happened to her.

Most of the complicated medical words and phrases meant absolutely nothing to her, but there were certain facts she managed to discern: that she had, in fact, crashed her little Mini directly into several other cars on that roundabout, and that she had severely cracked her head on the windscreen. That she had been operated on, and that there wasn't much they could do now except wait. That she was slipping into a _"persistent vegetative state_", and that there wasn't much hope now at all of her regaining consciousness.

That was what they thought, anyhow. Because Eve decided, right there and then on her very first morning waking up in this place, that she most definitely wasn't there for good. Whatever it took, she would do; she would work out exactly why she was here, how she could get home and that way, she would. And as she sprung quickly out of bed, she felt refreshed, no longer weepy and confused but eager to get started, to defy every single doctor out there. To get the hell home.

That was, if she could ever work out how to use the shower in her tiny, disgusting new flat. The water was freezing cold for the first five minutes of trying, before suddenly changing to scalding hot, causing her to shriek as soon as she stepped in. But, Eve decided as she stepped out again pretty sharpish, it was merely a minor setback, certainly nothing to end the determined head space she was in.

But then she opened her wardrobe, and was faced with the biggest shock yet. Skirts. Waistcoats. Flowery, unflattering blouses. All of which were completely impractical for such a hands-on job, not to mention outdated and downright _ugly. _But there was simply no other choice, and so, a distasteful look on her face, she forced herself to pick out some garments that vaguely matched and get dressed.

And, staring at the hideous result in the small, cracked mirror above the sink, Eve did feel her confidence plummet, her previous energy and determination slowly ebbing away. Which was why when, at eight fifteen, there was a tentative tap at her front door, she was eternally grateful for the distraction, and away like a shot to answer it.

"I'm in a coma!" she cried gleefully the second she flung open the door to see Sam standing there, his fist still poised to knock again.

He appeared understandably startled at first, before a slightly bemused smile came over his face and he lowered his hand.

"And you sound positively delighted, I have to say."

Eve couldn't help but smile at that, as it hit her just how ridiculous her words must have sounded.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. That was awful of me. Hello!" she chattered, before hurriedly returning to her point, "But, you see, I think I've got it worked out now, how I'm here!"

Sam swallowed, and looked, for a reason she couldn't quite work out, a little nervous. But after a split second, his interested expression returned, and his voice sounded perfectly normal as he spoke again:

"Really? That's, er... that's brilliant. What have you figured out?"

"I've been hearing things." she informed him eagerly, "And don't think I'm mad."

"Far from it." he smiled, and once again she found herself amazed and beyond grateful that he believed and considered her every word without having to think twice.

"Thank you." Eve said quietly, and there was a moment of silence before she continued, "Anyway, it sounds as though I had a car accident on my way here. Because I told you how I remember being at a roundabout, and you always hear people's stories about the things they see, the experiences they have when they're comatose. So the most likely explanation, I think, is that my brain knew I was headed to Manchester CID, put two and two together and created_ this _place."

She gestured all around her as if to exaggerate the point, and for the first time, Sam showed a tiny sign of weakness. Running a hand over his face, he took a deep breath as though preparing himself for something before making eye contact once again... and it struck Eve also for the first time, quite how _tired _he looked.

"Right." he managed, his expression kind, "I'm glad you're feeling better. But... why then, do you think this has happened?"

"I'm gonna have to get back to you on that." she admitted, "But I figure the sooner I get that worked out, the sooner I can get the hell out of this place."

"Wow!" he smiled, "Then I guess we'd better get started, eh? After you."

And as the two of them left the flat, it hit Eve once again just how lucky she was to have someone like him, someone who believed her and wanted to help and, most importantly, seemed to actually _care _whether or not she was alright.

* * *

"You nervous?" Sam asked her as they stood outside the entrance to CID ten minutes later, and Eve swallowed before quickly shaking her head.

"Nope." she said determinedly, gearing herself up, "I don't see any reason why I should be scared."

He raised his eyebrows, a smile playing on his lips, "Really?"

"Yes! It'll be fine, I'm hoping we can just start afresh, forget yesterday ever happened."

Sam didn't say a word

"Seriously! I'll be absolutely fine."

"Alright, alright!" he held his hands up, "But didn't say I didn't warn you. All I'll say is, I know if I were you, _I _would be nervous."

She opened her mouth in mock offence, and for a moment she honestly and truly forgot where she was, was so involved in the casual banter between them that she didn't think to at all brace herself as she marched through the double doors right after him.

"And what exactly is _that _supposed to m..."

But she didn't quite get to finish her sentence, partly because at that moment she realized exactly where she was and was stunned into silence, but largely because she was drowned out by the jeers and whistles that met her the second she walked in there.

"Alright lads, enough!" Sam called out sharply, and thankfully, albeit begrudgingly, they seemed to take notice as he led her through the office to the other side of the room, near the door that led to the DCI's office.

"Bloody 'ell, Tyler!" commented the man Eve remembered as Ray, glaring at them from where he sat smoking a cigarette, his feet up on a desk, "Didn't take you long to get your claws in there! First night, good work!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sergeant." Sam said, throwing his jacket over the back of a chair, "DC Atkinson lives in the same building as me."

"Whatever." Ray grunted, swinging his feet down to the ground, "Should o' known, I suppose. You're much too much of a pansy to get your claws in any bird, let alone one 'oo looks like _that_."

Eve raised her eyebrows, unable to decide whether she should be deeply offended or take it as a strange compliment.

"Although if you do ever fancy a bit of, er," Ray smirked at her, "_Office romance, _darlin', look no further."

And this time, her emotions were perfectly clear: offended indeed, along with appalled at the idea of any type of contact with this disgusting man.

"I'm afraid I'll have to politely decline that offer, Sergeant Carling, as... _irresistible _as you make it sound." she said coolly, before leaning in a little closer, "Besides, I hardly think getting crushed flat underneath your ample figure for an evening quite qualifies as _romance_."

And Ray, unbelievably, was silenced, the only sound being a snort of laughter from Sam, who looked up from his desk.

"I'd have to agree with you there, Eve, although I think we may have discovered a highly effective new torture technique."

She smiled, grateful that she had support at least from him. But, as quick as she was at coming up with comebacks right now, she didn't know how long it would last, how long she could possibly cope with this sort of abuse before it all got too much. And, although she didn't show it in the slightest, her confidence was most certainly being worn down, bit at a time.

The door to DCI Hunt's office suddenly swung open, snapping Eve out of her reverie and making her jump as DC Chris Skelton skulked out, looking deflated and slightly ashamed.

"Is the Boss in yet? 'Cos the Guv wants to see-" he began to ask Ray in a mutter, before turning around and starting at the sight of Eve leaning against Sam's desk.

"Oh, erm... hi."

She could tell he was remembering their first meeting yesterday, but decided that if she expected them to forgive her screaming down the whole department, she'd have to forgive his lack of courteousness in return.

"Hello." she said politely, holding out a hand, and, still looking incredibly uncomfortable, Chris shook it quickly, his eyes seemingly drawn uncontrollably once again to her chest. They would really have to work on that.

"What were you doin' in there anyway?" Ray asked him as he dropped into a seat behind yet another disorganized desk, and he sighed.

"The Guv was givin' me a bollocking for tapin' over one of his cassettes when I were recordin' the interview with that blagger a while back."

"He'll get over it." Sam said with a smile, "Well done anyway, Chris, for using the tapes in the first place."

"Cheers." Chris said, still avoiding eye contact with Eve, "Anyway, the Guv wants you in 'is office, and he said to take that new tart in with you an' all."

Eve somehow managed to grit her teeth and smile her way past it, although she did stop for a moment to take a deep breath and brace herself before following Sam into the office. Perhaps she had been wrong - it was seeming increasingly clear now that working here, and figuring this out, definitely wasn't going to be such a breeze after all.


	6. Most Of The Station

**Hi! Thank you so much to everyone who's favourited and alerted this fic since the last update - it really means a lot to me, as do the kind, constructive comments you lot are so good at giving! This chapter is quite short, although with less of a delay than previous ones... anyway, let me know what you thought. Enjoy,**

**Donna xxx**

**PS. Just in case it was unclear, this is set around Series 2, Episode 2. It's just easier to use the show's actual investigations rather than come up with my own... Anyways. Ta da!**

Chapter Six - Most Of The Station

Eve couldn't help but feel more than a tad apprehensive as she followed Sam into the office. She knew, of course she did, that it was ridiculous to be nervous, that he was just a _man, _for God's sake... but all the same, this 'Guv' was the man who'd been instantly scornful of her, who quite clearly thought she was insane... and unfortunately, the man it appeared she would be working with constantly for the short time she had to be here.

_Cool, calm, composed and professional, _she reminded herself, _it's not as though any of this is real anyway... _

But still, as DCI Hunt stood up, seeming to fill the entire room, Eve couldn't help but stand slightly behind Sam.

"No use hidin' behind there, Sunshine," he immediately told her shortly, his arms folded as he leant against his desk, "As if _'e_ can protect you - I never met a man skinnier in me life."

"Cheers, Guv." Sam said flatly, as Eve forced herself to step forward into the line of Hunt's steely glare.

"Now I'll be honest with you." he told her in his thick Mancunian accent, "I 'ave got a perfectly fine team here already, and quite frankly the last thing I wanted was some mouthy bird swannin' in here and trying to take control. Which unfortunately, yesterday, was exactly what I got."

"Excuse me, sir... Mr Hunt, but I hardly think that's-" she started to interject, astounded, but the DCI spoke over her, his voice dangerous:

"If you'll let me _finish, _Constable!" he said, his voice not raised but every word pronounced harshly, "Now, seeing as my esteemed colleague here has assured me this is a good idea, and that bloody bore of a DCI over at Newcastle wasted precisely twenty four minutes raving about you over the phone last night when I could quite easily have been in the pub, I am prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt, this time and this one time only."

"Thank you." Eve nodded, her attempt at confidence failing miserably. But, she knew, if she had any chance of making a difference here, she would have to stick up for herself and be strong. She fixed a smile on her face, "I am sorry about what happened yesterday, Mr Hunt-"

"Guv."

"_Mr Hunt, _and I promise nothing like that'll happen again."

Of course she couldn't promise honestly - in fact, with the way everyone had been grinding her down today, it was seeming increasingly likely that Eve could snap once again at any minute and scream down the entire station.

"Right." he said, looking slightly disbelieving, "Well then, Constable-"

"Eve."

"_Constable, _as long as you work hard, respect me and don't overexcite my boys too much with those 'ooters of yours, we'll be just fine."

Once again, she flared up, really tiring of this, and opened her mouth to snipe back... but once again, right on cue, she felt Sam's hand on her shoulder, a tiny gesture that instantly calmed her and made her see sense. And so, somehow, Eve managed to merely smile through gritted teeth and ignore it.

"Thank you, DCI Hunt."

"Thank _you, _DC, erm... DC..."

"Atkinson." Sam chipped in quickly.

"Indeed." Hunt said, no trace of a thank you, "Now get out there and make yourself useful."

Eve blinked at the bluntness of his statement, but nonetheless she was endlessly grateful to be allowed out of that office so soon, turning immediately and marching toward the exit at his dismissal. And as she shut the door behind her, she could just here Hunt's whistle from within.

"Blimey, Tyler, you're gonna 'ave a hard time keepin' that one in line." came his faint voice, and Eve let her hand rest on the door handle for a moment. She closed her eyes, her back to the rest of CID, taking a moment to try and clear her head and keep focused.

_Beep... beep... beep... _

_"So... what does that mean, doctor?"_

_Beep... beep..._

_"It means, Mrs. Atkinson, and I am sorry, but it would seem Eve has slipped into a more-__"_

"Ma'am?" Eve jumped violently as Chris' voice snapped her out of her reverie, her head spinning as she turned to face her fellow DC.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" he asked nervously, and she managed to force a smile on to her face.

"Yeah, I'm..." she let out a strong breath, "I'm fine, Chris."

"Right. Well, er... this is your desk 'ere."

He didn't quite look her in the eye as he motioned to the desk next to Sam's, "I tried to tidy it up a bit before you got 'ere, so..."

He kept his eyes fixed awkwardly on the floor as Eve thanked him honestly, and Ray muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "pouff" as Chris scuttled back to his desk.

She rolled her eyes and sat down slowly, not entirely sure what to do with herself. Truth be told, although it sounded ridiculous to admit it, she felt a little lost without Sam there, a little less secure about what was happening. Admittedly, she had known the man less than twenty four hours, but all the same she trusted him explicitly, all the same it was as though-

"Okay!" came his voice, brimming with confidence, and Eve's head snapped up to see Sam and Gene standing at the door, both with their arms folded.

"Right," boomed the DCI, "We've 'ad some new information, lads."

"Lady." Sam added with a smile.

"Oh, shut it, Dorothy." Hunt told him sharply, "As I was sayin', there's been some new light shed on those robberies from a few months back."

"And?" Ray asked disinterestedly.

"And," Sam answered this time, "The Guv and I want to have another word with Richard Hands."

"But 'e was banged up in February." Chris said, looking confused.

"Well remembered, Christopher." Hunt shot him a look, "Which is why you're off to get him from chokey. The lot of you can go, in fact, give me a bit o' peace."

At that, Chris shrugged and stood up and Ray swung his feet off his desk, albeit looking slightly annoyed, and so Eve followed their lead, getting up to go, glad at the chance to get out of the station.

"You can leave the plonk 'ere, mind." Hunt said from the doorway, and Sam stopped in the middle of putting his coat on.

"Why?" he asked, and the DCI was quick to snap back at him:

"Where's Miss Fancy Pants over there gonna sit, in the back with the lunatic? Not on my life, she can stay 'ere where it's safe."

As the office door closed behind him once again, Eve dropped back into her seat, a little perturbed that she was being made to stay but partly glad to know that Hunt did care somewhat about her wellbeing, however little. Sam stopped at her desk as he, Chris and Ray left, leaning down to give her a worried look.

"Are you gonna be alright?" he asked seriously, casting a wary eye in the direction of Gene's office, and she managed a smile.

"I'll be fine." she assured him, "Worst case scenario is I've kicked the crap out of our DCI by the time you get back. Is that really so bad?"

"No, I'm pretty sure that'd be just fine with most of the station." Sam grinned, "Won't be long."

"Hey, take your time!" Eve told him brightly, "Have fun fetching the criminal out of jail!"

He shot a pained look in her direction over his shoulder as he followed Chris and Ray out of CID, before giving her a casual wave goodbye.

And then he was gone, and she was alone. Eve sighed, unsure what she was supposed to do with herself, before deciding that just sitting there was in no way constructive, and getting to her feet to look around the office. It was amazing - thirty years didn't sound like a particularly long time, but _everything _was different here, seemed so outdated and primitive.

She peered around CID, taking it all in with wonder - how could they get anything done without computers? A quick sweep of the corridors - why exactly was there no designated interview room in this place? A peek into the archives, a room full to the brim with paper files - how could they cope having to look through everything by hand? A once-over of the tiny kitchen - and how the hell, exactly, did you use a coffee machine practically the size of a modern fridge? God, this was going to take some getting used to... along with the many raised eyebrows, whistles and catcalls that had so kindly escorted her on her trip around the station.

Finally, after a good twenty minutes of wandering from room to room, trying to get her bearings, Eve found herself in the locker room, a big and thankfully empty space. She didn't switch the lights on as she entered - her head was pounding - and sat down on one of the benches. Sighing and closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the cool wall, relieved to finally have some solitude and some privacy.

She figured that the best way to treat this would be just like a case - calmly think it through, consider every detail, work out a logical explanation and therefore, a solution. Well, so far, all she knew so far was that she had crashed her car in 2006, and woken up in 1973. The voices she could hear made it pretty clear that she was in a coma, which she could understand perfectly - but _why? _

Why on Earth should Eve have found herself in this place, at this time, where there was nothing familiar, nothing of significance? Everything had changed so much, not a single thing had gone the way it was supposed to... and then it dawned on her. It was _almost_ true - every detail but one was different here from at home, every aspect of her situation... All except him. In both times, the name Sam Tyler, in both times she would have ended up working with him. But then... what did _that _mean?

_"They don't think you can hear me, Evie."_

Suddenly, the voice rang out clear as day, making her jump in the dark. But this wasn't like the other times, this wasn't inside her head... it was inside this room, it was _real..._

"Di!" she gasped quickly, "Diana, where are you?"

Desperately, she jumped to her feet, dashed to the door and switched on the light. And although she was blinded by the sudden brightness, Eve could still tell instantly that there was no one else in the room.

_"All these Doctors and whatnot say there's no way you can understand me, but I know you better than that, babes." _

Eve peered around frantically, before at last she spotted the source of the voice: a chunky police radio sitting on top of a nearby locker. Instantly she darted forward and seized it, praying that she'd be able to give a response back.

"Diana, it's me, I'm here." she cried urgently, and held her breath, _needing _her sister to understand her.

_"They've given up on you already, darlin'." _Diana sounded tearful now, breaking Eve's heart, _"They say there's no hope of you wakin' up from this, but..."_

"But they're wrong!" Eve shrieked, tears streaming down her face now, "I'm _trying, _Di, I'm gonna get back to you!"

"_Oh, Eve..." _her sister was sobbing by now, and Eve's eyes widened - she could feel a strange, tingly sensation in her hand, as though it was being held.

_"Oh, Evie... Eve..."_

"Eve!"

There came a sudden, frantic voice, and she jumped violently, "Eve, are you there?"

It was Sam. She shook her head, breathing heavily as she tried to get over what she had just heard.

"I, er..." she struggled to speak as she held the radio up, "I'm here."

"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding concerned now, and Eve exhaled heavily before assuring him:

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine." She said shakily, "And you?"

"No, not particularly." he admitted, "We've got a bit of a situation, actually..."

Faintly on the crackly line, Eve could just make out what sounded like Ray, emphatically cursing "the stupid little knacker, can't even drive properly without..."

"Carling, will you shut it!" she heard Sam order, and despite herself, a smile crept onto her lips, "Eve, this is urgent. I need you to get the Guv for me."

"Okay." she told him, wiping her eyes determinedly as she stood up and left the sanctuary of the quiet cloakroom, swiftly making her way back towards CID.

"What's the matter, what happened?"

"He, erm..." Sam sounded a little embarrassed, "He got away."

"_What_?"

"Richard Hands, the man we had in custody? On the way back to the station, these blokes with guns appeared and took 'im away in a van."

"Christ." Eve muttered, "And you want _me_ to tell this to DCI Gene Hunt?"

There was a moment of silence before Sam spoke, his voice hesitant and apologetic.

"Er... yeah."

She stopped short just outside Hunt's office, her _cool, calm, composed and professional _mantra fading, and fast being replaced by one single thought regarding what she had to do next:

_Oh, bloody hell._


	7. High Hopes

**Okya, so it is, I know, completely unacceptable to go a _year _without updating this, but a lot of things got in the way and to be honest, I never thought I'd get around to finishing this! But after Ashes to Ashes finished the other day I was a bit inspired, and now I'm totally determined to continue with this story. Exam season begins tomorrow so the updates won't be all too frequent, but I will try my best and I'm totally back into it now :) If anyone is still reading, thank you for sticking with it, and I would absolutely adore a review to let me know what you think. Thanks so much, I really hope you enjoy it,**

**Donna x**

Chapter Seven - High Hopes

Eve had expected blue murder, had herself all prepared to take whatever abuse Hunt could come up with when she informed him of the mishap on the way back from the prison... But she still hadn't been prepared enough. Not enough for quite that volume, quite that large a tirade of colourful language, of fist waving and slamming around of office equipment that had gone on for the last two and a half minutes.

And it was only when the DCI had apparently run out of breath entirely that he looked her in the eye, his glare blazing, and told her sharply: "Tea. Now. Six sugars." And Eve could finally escape. Blinking rapidly from shock, she darted from his small office, taking a moment for a deep breath as she closed the door behind her.

"Eve." She heard a voice as she headed for what she remembered was the small kitchen area, and looked up to see Sam approaching her, flanked by Chris and Ray, "Did you tell him? How did it go?"

"I told him." She said, her voice a little shaky, "He was, erm... Well..." Eve sighed, "I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore."

Her DI laughed, "The Guv can overreact a little sometimes, to say the least. We came back as quick as we could, off to face his wrath now... It should be fun."

It was her turn to smile, before holding up her right hand to show him that her fingers were crossed for him, and continuing towards the kitchen.

* * *

_"I've seen cesspits with more brains. This was supposed to be a simple job!" _Eve could make out DCI Hunt's disgusted tone from behind his door as she made her way back towards his office a few minutes later, a steaming mug in her hand.

_"It was a stitch-up. Somebody knew what we were doing." _Came Sam's calm voice, attempting to reason with him. She sighed, knowing she was going to have to go in there soon... But then something caught her eye as she passed by her desk, and after stopping to take a quick look, her face hardened. Suddenly, she was more angry and less nervous to go inside.

"_Yes, thank you Dorothy," _She heard Gene say as she picked up the cup once more and strode into his office, "I think we'd worked that out. Just thought three of my finest might have put up a better fight!"

Eve entered purposefully, slamming the mug down on the DCI's desk and ignoring the tea that spilled over the sides as she did so.

"Steady on, petal." Gene said, narrowing his eyes at her, "I understand it must be hard for you to balance carrying those knockers around, but I'd appreciate a little more care in my inner sanctum."

"Oh, really, Sir?" She put her hands on her hips, "Well, perhaps you could ask your officers to be a little more careful, as well, given the fact that one incredibly witty such officer has _accidentally _left a quite sizeable pile of topless calendars on my desk." Eve saw Ray smirk slightly at that from the corner of her eye, and made a mental note to repay him for this later, before she was drowned out by the 'Guv'.

"Oh, get down off your 'igh 'orse and stop pretending like you haven't done a cheeky bit of modelling for them in the past, Atkins."

"Atkin_son, _Mr Hunt, and I think you'll find that what you just said to me is blatant discrimin-"

"Whoah, whoah, you've got yourself a fiery one there, Gene!" Came a deep, almost joking voice, and Eve spun around, still fuming, to see a slightly older man in uniform entering the room.

"Yes." Her DCI snarled, "Not quite the word I would use, Sir, but it'll do for now." He shot Eve a warning look before addressing his three male officers, "Now, at least we've had one break today. Superintendent Woolf here's offered to help with our investigation."

* * *

It was the end of her official first day as Detective Constable in this dark new place, and quite frankly, Eve didn't think she'd be able to last another minute. Sure she'd heard the stories of the state of policing in the 1970s... But never had she imagined it could be quite this terrible. Sexism. Racism. A complete lack of rules, regulations... It was a nightmare, and Eve was going to have to do something about it.

"You know, Constable; I really don't think he's going to take too kindly to that." Sam told her with a half-smile on his face as they headed, at his insistence, towards a pub named the Railway Arms.

"And that, DI Tyler, is the point." Eve replied, a glint in her eye in reference to the pile of calendars she had left, in return, in Ray Carling's desk drawer - every single one of which depicted naked men.

"That baboon masquerading as a man needs the equivalent of a good hard slap, but I somehow think that Chris discovering his stash of _Hot Hunks _calendars will hit him harder than I ever could."

Sam smirked, "Ray was out of line today, I'll admit. They all were."

"You're telling me. I don't think I can get across how sick I felt at the things said about Glen Fletcher, it was disgusting. You'd think they'd never seen a black man before."

"Eve, believe me, I know." Sam told her sadly as he held the door of the pub open for her, "I have tried so much to get them-"

But he was cut off by the noise as they entered the pub, which seemed to Eve to be filled entirely with coppers from their department.

"New arrival, huh?" The man behind the bar beamed, speaking in a Caribbean accent and shooting a glance towards DCI Hunt, leaning against the bar, before turning to Eve, "What can I get you, beautiful lady?"

She blushed a little, "Oh, I don't know... Diet Coke?"

"Christ, Nelson, we've got another one." Hunt said with a twitch of the mouth, "I 'ad high hopes for a Geordie lass, you're from further up North than I am! Would've hoped you could at least cope with _some_ sort of alcohol, pet, rather than the same pouff drink Tyler tried to order first time he was in 'ere."

Eve raised an eyebrow, shooting a quizzical look at Sam before eyeing her DCI with a mischievous smile, "Well I can't talk for Sam, but I know _I _was joking, Sir."

"Good. What'll it be, then, 'alf a shandy?"

Eve snorted, "Do me a favour. Drink a shandy where I come from and you'd be lynched." She smiled sweetly at the barman, "I'll have a pint, please... Nelson, was it?"

And, feeling that it was mighty time she got a little respect around here, Eve proceeded to easily down over a third of said drink in one sip as soon as she received it, earning whoops, cheers and applause from the many male officers around her and an approving eyebrow raise from Gene Hunt - To which she responded by playfully flicking the V sign at the lot of them as she dropped into a seat in the corner of the bar, being joined a few seconds later by her DI.

"Very impressive." Sam grinned, and she smiled back, hitting him playfully on the arm.

"It was nothing." Eve took another sip, "I've certainly had plenty of practice back home, and if that's the only way I'm getting any respect from these idiots, then so be it."

"First impressions, then?" He asked, gesturing around, "What d'you think?"

"Well," She considered, listing on her fingers, "In my very first day I've been subject to plenty of lovely verbal abuse and rampant sexism, as well as witnessing open, unprovoked, unpunished racism. I've seen a prisoner of her Majesty escape, and be murdered, a complete shambles of a lazy investigation be carried out... Oh, and to top it all off, the man responsible was in fact our very own Superintendent. So, all in all I'd say, based on first impressions, that 1973 has turned out to be the epitome of modern, fair policing."

Sam laughed softly at her dry humour, "Well, I suppose it was an unfortunate day to be your first. So, Eve... You came from Newcastle, right? Tell me..."

And they were off and away, Eve losing track of time as she and Sam talked for what must have been an hour or more. It was such a relief, after two days of confusion, of being yelled at, degraded and not listened to, to just talk. To have a regular conversation with a man who had a good sense of humour, who respected her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this in sync with anyone back home, let alone in this new world.

"But in the end, it was the fibres under fingernails which made us realise-"

"Boss?" They both looked up to see Chris Skelton waving at Sam to come over to where he, Ray and Hunt stood next to the bar. A little annoyed, truth be told, Sam smiled gently at Eve and said, "Give me two minutes." Before making his way over to them.

"What, Chris?" He asked, noticing that all three of their eyes were turned in one direction, and he had a suspicion he knew where... Yes, he clarified, glancing over his shoulder, all three of them were giving Eve the eye.

"We, erm..." Skelton shuffled around a little on his feet, "We wanted to ask you, Boss, if you... Well..."

"Is this you laying claim to the new bird, Tyler?" Ray blurted out sharply, his gaze piercing, and Sam almost choked on his drink.

"I beg your pardon?"

"'E asked, Inspector, if the rest of us can give up hope of having a shot at Cinderella over there."

"I heard him, thanks Guv, I just couldn't quite believe it. Me sitting and having a mature conversation with a woman constitutes ownership now, does it? Eve is confused, and I am tryin' to help her, and all you three can think of is... Christ." Sam, outraged, turned to his DCI, "Besides, Guv, you're married!"

"Well technically, yes, but that rule doesn't quite apply when such an opportunity arises. It's not every day a bit o' skirt like that waltzes into the office, now is it?"

Sam shook his head in disbelief, but all the same a smirk rose to his face at the ridiculousness of the conversation, "Lay off her, you lot. She's had a hard time."

"Oh aye." Ray sneered, "But I reckon you've lost your chance anyway, Boss, given the way she and Cartwright are gettin' cosy over there. Bit of girl on girl, that's what I like to see."

Sam furrowed his brow as he followed Ray's line of sight, to see that Eve was in fact now in conversation with Annie Cartwright, still in her WPC's uniform, and who Sam stood on rocky ground with since he had terrified the life out of her the first time they met. What could she want with her? It wasn't as though-

"Oi! Tyler!" The Guv's voice made him whip round again, "I believe you were asked a question. Is this or is this not you claiming first dibs on 'er? Planning to get in Cinders' carriage, help her on with her glass slipper, if you will?"

All Sam could do was laugh, "As much as I appreciate your creative use of euphemism, Guv, it's like I said - This isn't anything at the moment. This is just me getting to know our new colleague."

He turned to the bar, before shooting one final glance at the three coppers and adding, "However, if any of you try anything with her, I will have to kick your collective arse. Eve!" Sam called, and she looked up, smiling, "Can I get you another drink?"

And as she nodded, Sam's smile growing, he heard Ray's exhale of breath and mutter of "Lucky bastard."

* * *

"But in the end, it was the fibres under fingernails which made us realise-"

"Boss?" They both looked up to see Chris Skelton waving at Sam to come over to where he, Ray and Hunt stood next to the bar. Sam smiled gently at Eve and said, "Give me two minutes." Before making his way over to them.

Eve watched him speak to them, saw him glance over his shoulder at her and wondering why the eyes of Gene, Ray and Chris were all on her... But she didn't have much time for wondering, as she felt someone drop into the seat beside her and turned to see a young woman, about her age, wearing a WPC's uniform.

"Annie Cartwright." The girl held out a hand, and Eve smiled, "You're the new DC, right?"

"Eve." She clarified, shaking her hand, "It's nice to meet you, Annie."

"Look..." The woman shifted slightly, making Eve feel a little uncomfortable, "I saw you talking to DI Tyler just before, and I just... I'd stay well away from 'im if I were you."

Eve's face fell, "What?" She asked, shocked, "Why on earth would I do that? He's just being friendly."

"Believe me, it's for the best. 'E seems lovely, don't he? Truth be told, he's a nutcase." Eve's eyes widened, and Annie continued, "First day he was here he was all over the place, spouting some nonsense and shoutin' down the whole station. Ever since then he's acted weirdly, and all... I'm just tryin' to help you, Eve."

Subconsciously, the two women both glanced up at Sam, who stood with his back to them talking to his colleagues, and Eve couldn't believe what she was hearing, "But... What was he saying? I mean, you can't just write him off without-"

"He kept saying this place wasn't real." Annie told her seriously, "Ranting on about it all being _wrong, _and spouting all kinds of nonsense about being from the f-"

"Eve!" She heard Sam call, and when she looked up to see his face, she couldn't help but smile despite what she'd just heard, "Can I get you another drink?"

She nodded, "Annie, what were you...?" But her voice faded as she turned back to the seat beside her and found that the young PC had gone. What had she been going to say about Sam?

It was all very puzzling, but as the evening progressed and she went back to talking to her DI and joking with the rest of the team, her conversation with Annie drifted to the very back of her mind, her thoughts more focussed on getting these people to warm to her… While at the same time resisting the urge to punch the lot of them.

* * *

"So, princess, I did as the Guv instructed. Got you home before midnight, did I not?" Sam smirked at her as they reached her front door, and Eve rolled her eyes.

"Don't you jump in on this Cinderella thing as well; it's bad enough having one officer ordering me around for cups of tea and biscuits."

"Yep, well, that's the Guv." He grinned, studying her face, "All in all though, Eve... It's not been _that _bad, has it?"

"Well," She blushed a little, "Maybe... Maybe _coping _here until I can get home won't be as entirely awful as I thought."

"That's the spirit." He looked at her, really looked, and Eve felt a repeat of the tiny, tingling sensation from the night before when they'd been in her room and he'd promised to help her.

"Thank you, Sam." She said quietly, "I know I haven't been the easiest person to deal with but... Well, it's nice having someone I can trust." He nodded, and she truly believed his smile as she practically whispered a goodnight.

Her eyes were wide, and yes, the feeling did increase as Sam slowly leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek, before walking away with a parting "Goodnight, Eve."

And unlike the previous night, she didn't even bother to take in her disgusting surroundings as she let herself into her dingy flat, didn't mull over how desperate she was to leave. When Eve collapsed, exhausted, onto her tiny bed frame, she went to sleep almost instantly, a warm sensation sending her drifting off without a single care.

_"So... What does that mean, Doctor?"_

_"Well, I hate to say it, but it isn't good. We're still uncertain as to whether or not the blow to Eve's head is one that can ever be entirely be recovered from, given the level of coma she's slipped into and the lack of improvement we'd hoped for after operating. But, like I said, we are grateful for the fact that she's still showing signs of neuron activity."_

_"Does that mean it could be worse?" Diana sounded hopeful._

_"Oh, certainly. Like I said, the neuron pathways in Evangeline's brain are still consistently active, although I'll admit at a very low level. Another patient of mine, just in the next ward, suffered from an injury very similar to your sister's, but his neurological activity has been declining at a worrying rate for the past three months - there's not much of a chance for him now."_

_"Three months?" Di's voice was a mere horrified whisper._

_"Yes, very sad indeed. Another police officer, in fact, which is quite a coincidence. I'm told he's one of Manchester's finest."_

_"Doctor?" Came the sound of a new voice, sounding as though they had just entered the room, "Nurse Austen has asked that you come and take a look at Mr. Tyler's vitals."_

_"Of course." The Doctor said as the nurse left, "Diana, I'm going to have to leave you, I'm needed with the other patient I was telling you about. Keep talking to her, keep holding her hand, and keep positive - there's still hope, no matter how small, for people like Eve and Sam."_

Eve sat bolt upright, her breathing harsh and her blankets tangled around her, so she felt as though she was being restrained, trapped. Tears streamed down her cheeks at what she'd just heard - She may have fallen asleep feeling calm, strong, _happy _even, but now, as she tried desperately to digest this new information, she had never felt more opposite to that in her life.


End file.
